Page 101 of Forsaking All Others

As we reach a less treed part of the mountainside I turn back to suggest we take a break, for her benefit, when a shot rings out.

Taking two quick strides I push her down just as a second and third shot ring out and, groaning, I fall to my knees.

73

Gasping, winded from the force of his shove, I wait until I can catch my breath before rolling over and crawling towards where the bachelor lies clutching his chest.

When I reach him I’m appalled to see his hands pressed to his now red-splattered shirt, blood pouring out between his fingers.

“Jag?”

“I’d tell you to stay low,” he grunts, “but it’s obvious they hit their target.”

“You’ve been shot?”

He groans and removes his hands, revealing two ugly, ragged holes.

Turning to the side, I heave up my breakfast. Fortunately, I hadn’t eaten much during the day because I’d been too nervous about the contest, but either way it takes me a minute to recover my composure.

“Ugh,” I shudder as I turn back to him, wiping my mouth on the back of my sleeve, “sorry.”

“You should be. When we leave this Game I’m going to kill every member of your family, and then some,” he curses through clenched teeth.

“My people wouldn’t have done this,” I swallow hard and shake my head as he presses his fingers into one of the holes in his chest, before groaning loudly and shaking his head.

“Who else would want to kill me?” He snarls. “Your fucking Valentino did this. If you’d just tell me his last name I could have had him rubbed out long before now and saved all this bullshit.”

“No,” I shake my head and meet his eyes, “there’s no way my family would ever do anything like this.”

‘The covenant is sacred. Even Valentino, as rogue as he is, wouldn’t dare. And as for my father? There’s not a chance in Hell he’d even consider this as an option.’

“There’s more chance of an alien invasion than my people harming a vampire.”

“You’ll excuse me if I don’t take your word for it,” he groans. “I have more pressing matters to consider right now.”

“You don’t trust my word?”

He says nothing as I rise to my feet and scowl at him.

“That’s rich coming from someone who tricked twenty-four women into entering a life or death show with the promise of marriage and immortality, but who all along never planned to honour that promise. Get up.”

When he makes no move or response I throw my hands up into the air and kick him in the side, eliciting a roar of rage.

“Christ, Cat, you violent little fuck! Can’t you see I’m hurt?”

“You’re a vampire, you’re bullet-proof.”

“Not this time.”

“Why? What the fuck is happening?”

“Silver.”

“What?”

“Silver bullets. You’ll need to get them out; they’re close to my heart.”

“You’ll die if I don’t?”